AUG 30 Thursday.

I slowly read through another page of the book I was recommended by Twilight. We don't meet often but I had a study session at the library with her two days ago.

It was about what I expected it to be, I didn't see Spike though as apparently Celestia was watching him at the time. It was nice to talk with her for a while and catch up, I didn't tell her about becoming a healer but I did explain that I was learning more about it all and we ended up looking through some books on healing.

She mostly worked on some advanced spells, it seems she's really upped her skill over the past year and is getting into the more advanced spells. Her talent is starting to show and honestly, the only thing I surpass her in is my magical control, she's likely got me beat in both magical capacity and the amount of spells she knows.

I study magic a lot but I also spend a lot of my time making things and working on other projects, she's simply dedicated herself to that part of the craft more than me. It's not really a surprise though, she can literally become the alicorn of magic so I was never going to stay ahead in this.

I did notice that Twilight seemed a bit more assertive with her statements, it's not really that noticeable but I'm starting to see some more of what makes her as she is in the show. That part of her that can be very stubborn about being right even when she's not, but we all have flaws and it doesn't really bother me all that much.

After our meeting she actually suggested an interesting book on healing she found, it's not bad and is about wing bones and how to deal with burned feathers. It's been an interesting read and something to do to pass the time over the last few days as I wait for my meeting.

The day after Maple and I hung out I got a letter lining up a meeting for today. It's supposed to be at the hospital at twelve, so I've just spent my time relaxing and reading for a while to keep myself calm. I've also been meditating while using Mana Mimicry to give myself something to do.

After such a long time of using the ability, I've started to improve it again, slowly though. In the past, I stopped trying to improve it because I didn't have the skill, but spending so much time observing the much more complex and fast-moving magical flows of Ponies has given me some good practice to improve.

It's proven to be another interesting thing to work on, and a skill I want to try and improve more, but with a different direction of improvement. I want to try and hide the magical flows of life magic that show up when I use the ability, and I've made some progress already.

Question, all forms of magic, from spells to horns levitating things to affinities, everything. Why does it all glow? Well, it's actually a side effect of using magic at all. There is magic in the air, why don't we see it? Because it's completely stable and thus doesn't glow as a side effect.

Most stable magic can't be seen, and there are only two ways magic actually becomes visible. The first is when it is used by a being in any way it is... I guess excited would be the best word for it, or maybe disturbed. Anyway, when used by a being it starts to glow as some very tiny amount of the magic escapes control and goes wild. The second way it glows is when there is a sufficient quantity of magic in a single spot, causing it to condense enough to be seen, much like a gas actually.

Now normally most would have no way of stopping this glowing effect from happening, you would need an insane amount of control to even attempt it. Even though I don't have enough control to hide my spells, I don't know if even Celestia can pull something like that off.

The problem with spells is that you don't have as much control over the magic when you place it in a spell matrix, even my impressive magical control can't hide a simple spell matrix when I cast it. But when I use my affinities I have much more control over what the magic is doing.

I've been trying to improve the ability of Mana Mimicry to gather magic as well, while I'm also trying to control that magic from slipping from my grasp and making that wall of glowing flows of magic around me. It's not easy in any way and in fact, it might just be impossible altogether, but after a few days of heavy practice, I've managed to actually do a little.

In a way I have to relearn the skill to do this, keeping absolute control over all the magic used if I want to make it invisible to others. At the moment I can turn it completely invisible, but only if I use the ability to such a small degree that it costs dozens of times more magic to activate than I get back, making it useless.

Honestly, this is a bit of a dead end, the control needed to use Mana Mimicry to any useful degree is just not really possible with these conditions. Still, it's good control practice that I actually do need, so I'm just using it as training more than anything. I flip another page in my book but stop and look over at an empty space in my apartment as I feel Philomena teleporting into the room. I can also feel Entropy outside sitting in a tree next to the apartment building.

With her illusion and everything she ended up teleporting outside a week ago and sitting on top of the building to watch things. I was home and didn't stop her as she could take care of herself and was out of the way of Ponies, but afterward, I made some rules for her if she went out like that.

At the moment I can feel her presence within a few buildings of my apartment, I can't tell her exact location but I could find her with ease. So I showed her the area I could sense and told her she could explore that area whenever she liked as long as I was home and not sleeping.

She mostly seems to just like watching others and bringing home things that interest her, which are mostly just leaves and flowers. I've added all those leaves and flowers to a book so they can dry and she can keep them. She has her band on and I keep an eye on her so she doesn't stray off, something she did several times when I first let her do this.

She's been a good girl though and seems happy to explore around. I walk over as Philomena flashes into my apartment with a chirp and some flames. "Hello Philomena, thank you." I take the letter she has in her beak and pass her several freshly grown Juniper berries as a treat while opening the letter.

I smile seeing Celestia's writing and start to read through the letter.

Dear Shade.

I'm writing to you to update you on a few things, and to make sure you haven't done anything crazy, again.

First I thought I'd mention the newest spell you sent a while back. The testing for this spell was very thorough as it dealt with the inside of the body, I had several experts look over it before we even began testing actually. I'd apologize for not trusting your work fully, but you'd probably just agree it was a good idea.

It should be done testing in the next few weeks and released shortly after that, I recommend you not cast it in front of others until then. On that note, I wish you luck in whatever you choose with the offer you were given. Either way, I am happy to say the spell has tested very well so far and is a nice addition to your ever-growing list of achievements.

I also wanted to add something about the Changeling situation. It has mostly remained the same, with Queen Chrysalis slowly beating Cascadia but it has gotten a bit more heated recently. We're not sure why, probably simple desperation but there have been a few more blatant attacks recently.

Nothing against or really involving my Ponies, only Changelings, but the guard and Queen Chrysalis's hive had to cooperate some to keep it quiet due to the property damage. They have also brought another two rescued Ponies back to us, a bittersweet moment. Still, there is progress and things do not look grim.

From what little we were able to gather Cascadia hive has been having a hard time recently, the plan to give the guard Changeling detection enchantments has picked up more steam. Her hive seems to be having a harder time trying to gather food or take my little Ponies, something I am thankful to see.

We still aren't supplying Chrysalis directly but her hive has been gathering food under a discreet watch and has behaved themselves so far. We aren't making any plans to intervene directly, no need to put too much pressure on an already somewhat desperate foe.

The current plan remains much the same, building relations with Queen Chrysalis and protecting innocent Ponies while preparing. But enough of the gloom, how have you been? I would like to meet again in a week or two if possible. Things are winding down with the coming winter and I should have more time to meet and talk.

Please write back when you can to confirm a date and time, and I wish you luck.

Signed your friend, Celestia.

I let the letter stay in the air for a moment, reading it again to memorize everything, before turning to Philomena as she eats. "Burn." I use a simple command word Celestia taught her at some point and I watch on as Philomena looks over and the paper bursts into flame a second later, burning away quickly and leaving nothing behind.

I have no idea what her flames are made from, but they don't leave ash behind, and that in and of itself proves how dangerous it can be if you anger her. Not that she ever would, she's a kind bird that just loves food and attention, the same as Entropy.

I scratch her a little in thanks and cast a spell to check the time while I think through the new information. It's time for me to leave so I grab my saddlebags and start to gather anything I may need. I knew the war situation would change over time and I'm glad to see some of our preparation has worked to a degree.

I try not to think about it too much as I can't really do much about it at the moment, Celestia has it handled and as much as I know violence she knows war better than me. I gathered my things and noticed Philomena had already left, with me leaving my apartment and heading down to the ground floor.

I walk outside and whistle, watching as Entropy flies down from one of the few trees planted outside my apartment building. They have lost half of their leaves by this point as Fall is now coming in full force, winter seems to be coming a little early this year as it is a week or two early. Entropy lands on me with a curious chirp, I smile at her. "I have to go, are you staying here?"

She looks at the building for a moment before looking down at my shadow and sitting on my back. "Shadow." She caws out and while a few Ponies around us notice they just ignore it, she is far from the only talking bird after all and the clever girl made her words sound more like mimicking than speaking.

I nod and I start walking through the city, still having enough time to just enjoy a nice walk instead of a flight. I arrive not long after and stop at a public bathroom to have Entropy enter my shadow before entering the hospital from the front entrance this time.

Unlike the last few times, I'm not volunteering and I'm meeting somepony I haven't met before, so it's best I go through the front and ask where I need to go. I ask a receptionist about the meeting and where I need to go, and they recognize me before giving me directions to find the way myself.

Not many Ponies know me, or at least know my name, but they have seen me around for a year and that's enough for them to just assume I can find my own way. I head to the offices and it doesn't take me long to find the one I'm looking for, with a single pony inside behind a desk.

I raise a hoof but before I can knock the door just opens, the mare inside the room looking at me intently. I keep a straight face and don't let my surprise show as I walk inside and glance around, the office is very sparse, and beyond a single cactus on her desk and a few file cabinets, there is nothing but empty space. I nod to the mare and hold her gaze, "Master Healer." I say with respect. I may not know her but she must have earned that title for good reason.

The door shuts behind me. The older mare looks at me, a pair of glasses on her muzzle as her deep pink eyes stare at me intently for a few long moments. "Somepony is stuck at the bottom of a thirty-foot cliff, at least one broken leg and possibly more, you need to get to them quickly. Go." She instructs in a firm and demanding tone that gives away no emotion.

I nearly ask something and question it, but a test is something I can handle. "Levitation spell, jump and slow yourself down. And from a height like that, it's best to check for the ribs first, a punctured lung or internal bleeding can't wait." I quickly add, trying my best to go along with this sudden thought experiment and clear test.

She raises a brow at my answer but doesn't react in any other way. "Getting through a flooded zone, no boat, no backup, you need to cover ten miles as fast as possible." She switches things in a moment and I'm getting a feel for what she is doing. After all this meeting is her learning about me just as much as I am learning about her.

"Are we assuming the flood water is moving quickly and not still?" She nods. "A spell to fly would be best, anything to keep off the ground. A Levitation spell and anything to control wind can work if done right." I finish and she motions with a hoof as if I should continue. "If you find somepony injured, heal them and move them somewhere safe before searching further, the same with uninjured Ponies at a lower priority," I add as she again makes no sign of approval or disapproval.

"The aftermath of a wildfire. Too many patients and not enough time, who do you heal and why?" This final one has the least context to it and is the hardest to think about. Ideally, you have other methods and options to not have to let anyone die, but sometimes that isn't an option.

It's a depressing thought and a situation I don't like the idea of, but the world can't always be so kind. "The most injured first, try to stabilize them enough for others to take over, even if that means leaving longer lasting problems. Try your best to prioritize properly and keep up your magic. Not much else you can do." I explain and actually find myself interested in this conversation.

Sure she sprung it on me, but that's the point, and she is asking good questions. She goes silent for a long moment before taking out a piece of paper from a desk drawer. She writes down a few simple notes and I wait patiently. "You are right, in that situation there is little else to do." Her tone is more light now, not as unreadable.

She sounds calm, collected and somewhat cold, but not emotionless, it's an odd combination that I haven't really seen much in this life. "An accident happens, somepony loses a limb and it is lost nearby but nopony can find it," I say after a moment and think of my own situation to see how she reacts.

She thinks for only half a second before answering. "If you are alone, bandage the wound and try to follow any trail. If you have a Diamond Dog or Griffon with you, ask them to try and smell it out. Use a spell in the unlikely event you have one specific enough to work." She answers in a blunt but slightly pleased tone.

I nod, the idea of using a Griffon or Diamond Dog is not bad. Both have a better sense of smell than a Pony so it might work. She finishes writing and pushes the page she was writing on over to me, it's just basic notes about my answers and I pass it back. "Never take notes in front of somepony without showing them, if you need to take notes do so later." She shares some more wisdom.

It's slightly odd advice and frankly advice that I don't really need, but I can agree with it so I nod regardless. "Shade Evergreen, no schooling beyond the basics, seventeen years old, correct?" I nod and she makes another note. "I do not like wasting words, why the modified NDA?" She asks with a very blunt but not unpleasant or demanding tone.

I get the feeling I can not say anything if I want to, but that won't work all that well. "A friend suggested I be more thorough, they helped me make the new one. I'm no expert so I'm not too sure about all that's in it, but I trust them fully." That is a half lie, as I read through the NDA fully.

She looks at me and nods curtly. "Do you have any doubt about this friend? In any way?" She asks seriously, and I shake my head with an equally serious face. "Good, it is fine by the way, overdone for this but not wrong in any way. It's very well made." She comments but doesn't phrase it as a question.

She finishes another note and places the paper and quill to the side. "You did well at the practical, I will expect that or better every day you are with me." She lays it out bluntly, but I am thankful for that as It makes things clear and easy. "The same calm, the same level of work, everything the same or better." She really makes it clear. "What do you expect of me?" She asks and leans back.

I am much taller than the mare, but she gives me the feeling that she's not nearly as safe as she looks. Not necessarily dangerous, but not to be underestimated either. I let myself think on things for a long moment, really giving her question some thought.

"I expect to be given answers, or shown where I can learn those answers, and I expect to learn everything needed for the Journeypony Healers test." I do the same as her and lay everything out. "And I expect to have privacy, when I am here, I am your apprentice, when I am gone I am me," I add as while I don't want to outright tell her to stay out of my life, I do need a firm boundary.

She nods at that. "Again, good. Do not let others push into your life, this is work and learning, nothing else." She agrees and approves of my choice. "I also expect the same. What do you want to know?" I raise a brow at that. "You asked for this meeting, what do you want to know?" She asks again in a new tone.

It isn't relaxed, but also not firm or demanding. She's just asking, with no emotion or discernable tone. "I wanted to meet you, see what you were like, and if we can work without problems." She nods. "Former guard?" She shakes her head. "Is there a file on you I can look at?" I ask as that would be more efficient.

She takes something out of her desk and passes a folder to me, it seems she was prepared for this. I guessed she was a guard in some way, but as I opened and looked through the file I find myself proven wrong. It's very basic but it tells me a few things.

She was schooled as a healer at a school I recognize, it's a larger school but not one of the largest. The file has her name. Her age, she is forty-three. Along with her rank. It also says she spent some time under contract working with the guard, eight years in fact. "I liked the way they operate, saves time and lives." She adds as I finish reading the very basic file.

So my guess was close but not perfect. She was working with the guard, which often means some basic guard training and living as they do, but it also puts me at ease a fair bit. Her personality is something I can work with, and having ties to the guard she knows when to leave things unasked and unspoken.

Then again, it means she's smart and looks at things like a guard would, at least to some degree. "Why me? Sure I'm skilled, but I also have a less full education when compared to the others." I ask as I don't believe there is a way in hell she didn't have a choice in choosing me for this.

She stays silent for a moment and then I notice her doing something odd, she takes out a fresh piece of paper and starts to crumple it into a ball. Once she's done she tosses it right at my face with a little speed, only for me to calmly catch it with a look of confusion. "That."

I place the ball of paper I caught with my space magic onto her desk. "No panic, no surprise, you saw it coming and reacted as you should. There are many things that make a healer, I think the best trait is the ability to remain calm." She states and I once again can't help but agree with her reasoning.

"Out of all the Ponies that were tested this year, only you really got dirty. The one Pony with the crunched leg, you got covered in blood and just ignored it, even after treating them you just moved on to the next patient and only cleaned yourself when actually needed."

I knew that would stand out, to be fair I've seen a few Ponies get to that level of desensitization to blood and gore, it's not common though. "So I can handle a mess and remain calm, that still seems a little simple to base an apprenticeship off of," I question her further.

She nods once again. "Yes, but it also means I can actually deal with you." I give her yet another confused look. "So many of them need time, and a lot of it, to adjust like that. I don't have the patience for that. You? You I can tell to hold down a bleeding Pony, and you will do it. That I can work with, that is somepony I can teach." She states simply.

I'm starting to realize that Clear Water is different from a normal Pony in mindset. Maybe a combination of healing work and being around the guard. The guard also deals with natural disasters and I can guess she's probably seen some much less pleasant things. Even then though her mindset is already standing out from what is normal.

The way she talks fits in more with a Griffon honestly, there is still Pony in there but she's an odd one, much like me I suppose. I was leaning towards accepting this offer already, but after meeting her I think this is even better than before. I'll still need to be careful, but I think I can get along with a Pony like this. "I accept, if you'll have me. But I do have one last question."

She gives me a satisfied look, still keeping her calm face and very firm body language. "If I ever do something I shouldn't, a mistake or something I should know better than to do. What will you do?" I ask, keen on knowing how she deals with me messing up. It's an important trait for a teacher and it can make or break a lot of things.

She takes a few moments to think about that. "I spent eight years with a bunch of Ponies who are mostly stubborn brick walls that only listen to orders. I would deal with the problem, and then I'd spend an hour telling you exactly what you did wrong, how stupid it was, and how you WILL be better. And I lack the patience to be quiet about it." She says it like it's something she will do no matter what I think.

I find myself smiling a bit, distantly reminded of my uncle who did much of the same thing. "Good, I expect to get just that then." She raises a brow slightly at my serious answer. I take out some documents and a quill, "Let's get these signed and off to Dr. Meadows. I have a lot to learn."

Author's Note

Thanks for reading. :}
Current year is 996

So, I thought about it and thought it would be interesting to have a Pony that is a little psychopathic. She's not completely uncaring, or without emotion, but she's more like a Dragon or human when it comes to dealing with others.

So, less overall compassion, but still some, and a general lacking in fucks given. She's not full blown psychopathic though, just a similar thing to a lesser degree. I thought it would be interesting.

Also, Peaches or Pears? I need to know for later.